Title: Remembering Old Friends
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, mentions Jess Latener, Tommy, Barry, and Arnon.
Rating: PG
Setting: Vol. 6 Act 18
Summary: Dee visits Jess’s grave and thinks about his childhood friends.
Word Count: 583
Content Notes: None necessary, I think.
Written For: Challenge #93: Amnesty, using Challenge #19: Old Friends
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.



More than ten years had passed since Jess died, but Dee still visited his grave every year on October 15th, without fail. He’d been an important part of Dee’s life growing up, almost as important as Mother, and that hadn’t changed with his death. A lot had happened in Dee’s life since that day, but he still felt a need to touch base with Jess, even if it was just once a year. It gave him the opportunity to reminisce, think about old times and old friends.

Later, he’d visit Arnon’s grave too; his friend’s life had been cruelly cut short and those responsible had never paid for the crime, but Dee lived in hope that one day he could bring them to justice. Maybe. It wouldn’t be for Arnon’s death, true, but just getting them off the street would be a victory. They were Mob though; pinning anything on them was never going to be straightforward.

In the early years, he’d had company on his annual visits, meeting up with Tommy and Barry at the orphanage and heading out to the cemetery together, but gradually the other two had drifted away. Tommy had joined the army when he turned eighteen, Dee didn’t know where he was stationed now; they’d kept in touch at first, but he hadn’t heard from him in over five years. Life takes people in different directions. Barry had been full of big ambitions when they’d been kids, but the last time Dee had seen him he’d been tending bar in a trendy nightclub. He’d seemed happy enough then, he’d always been an optimistic guy, but the place had closed a couple of years back and Dee had lost track of him after that. He should have tried harder to keep in touch with them both.

So now here he sat, smoking and drinking, telling Jess what had been going on in his own life since his last visit and feeling oddly melancholy. Ryo couldn’t have picked a better time to show up; just having company made the day seem a little brighter, and it was Ryo’s company he craved more than any other person’s these days.

It felt good to tell someone about how it had been back then, and Dee found himself remembering things he’d almost forgotten. For a while it was as if he was a kid again, hanging out with the guys and getting yelled at by Jess. Ryo was always a good listener.

Dee smiled to himself, leaning into Ryo’s embrace. Jess would have liked Ryo, it was a shame they’d never meet. Maybe tomorrow he’d see if he could track Barry down. His mom still lived in the same apartment; she’d have his phone number and know where he was working these days. If Barry had heard from Tommy, perhaps they could get together sometime soon, kind of a mini reunion. He’d invite Ryo too of course, introduce his oldest friends to his newest, his partner…

With that in mind, and feeling better than he had all day, Dee scrambled to his feet and turned to Ryo.

“I’m gonna go visit Arnon’s grave now. If you’re not in any hurry, you could come with.”

“Sure, I’ve got time. Maybe you could tell me how the four of you met.”

“Oh, now that’s a great story!” Dee glanced back at Jess’s grave as they moved away.

“Bye, Dad. See ya next year.”

He hoped that wherever he was now, Jess was proud of him.


The End